Pigmented monolayer liner for appliances and methods of making the same

- Whirlpool Corporation

A method of making a liner for an appliance is provided that includes: mixing a polymeric capping layer precursor and a pigment additive; forming the capping layer precursor and the pigment additive into a capping layer at a capping layer formation temperature; and rolling the capping layer, a barrier layer and a polymeric base layer together to form a liner, each of the capping layer, the barrier layer and the base layer at about the capping layer formation temperature. Further, the liner comprises a capping region, a barrier region and a base region, the capping region comprising the pigment additive.

Skip to: Description  ·  Claims  ·  References Cited  · Patent History  ·  Patent History
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/398,413, filed on 30 Apr. 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 11,175,090, issued 16 Nov. 2021), which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/369,282, filed on 5 Dec. 2016 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,352,613, issued 16 Jul. 2019), the contents of which are relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure generally relates to liners for appliances, particularly pigmented liners for refrigeration applications, and methods for making them.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Liners having particular colors, hues, tints and the like are desired for many appliance-related applications, such as refrigeration appliances. As appliance designers have recently placed more emphasis on interior design and lighting (e.g., given the lower energy usage of light-emitting diode (LED) sources), the importance of interior aesthetics has increased for many consumers. Similarly, appliance manufacturers often emphasize aesthetics, including through interior design approaches, in attempting to obtain brand differentiation from their competitors.

Liners employed in appliances, including refrigeration appliances, are often produced with extrusion processes. As these liners often are fabricated from two or more layers, conventional approaches to adding color to these liners often involve adding pigments to each extruder employed in making a layer employed in the liner. As pigments are added to multiple extruders, the complexity, repeatability and manufacturing cost of matching colors increases significantly for a liner that comprises two or more layers having pigments. Further, as significant loadings of pigments in these multi-layer liners are often employed, down-stream processes, e.g., thermo-forming, to incorporate the liners into an end product can lead to local discoloration and yield losses. Further, multiple and cost-intensive extrusion runs are often required to fabricate a liner having multiple, extruded layers with pigments that matches a particular desired color, tint or hue. Still further, these approaches for making a liner having multiple, extruded pigmented layers require one or more adhesives to bond the layers, which increases cost and can decrease manufacturing yield.

Accordingly, there is a need for methods of making liners, particularly pigmented liners for refrigeration appliances, which are repeatable, with high manufacturing flexibility, and low in cost. There is also a need for pigmented liners that do not require or otherwise employ internal adhesives, have a high reliability and can be configured according to various design aesthetics.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method of making a liner for an appliance is provided that includes: mixing a polymeric capping layer precursor and a pigment additive; forming the capping layer precursor and the pigment additive into a capping layer at a capping layer formation temperature; and rolling the capping layer into a polymeric base layer to form a liner, each of the capping layer and the base layer at about the capping layer formation temperature. Further, the liner comprises a capping region and a base region, the capping region comprising the pigment additive.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of making a liner for an appliance is provided that includes: mixing a polymeric capping layer precursor and a pigment additive; forming the capping layer precursor and the pigment additive into a capping layer at a capping layer formation temperature; and rolling the capping layer, a barrier layer and a polymeric base layer together to form a liner, each of the capping layer, the barrier layer and the base layer at about the capping layer formation temperature. Further, the liner comprises a capping region, a barrier region and a base region, the capping region comprising the pigment additive.

According to a further aspect, a liner for an appliance is provided that includes: a polymeric liner comprising a monolayer, the monolayer comprising: a base region comprising a high-impact polystyrene material; and a capping region comprising a high-impact polystyrene material and a pigment additive, the capping region disposed over the base region. Further, the base region and the capping region are joined with substantially no interfaces between them.

These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention there are shown in the drawings certain embodiment(s) which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. Drawings are not necessary to scale. Certain features of the invention may be exaggerated in scale or shown in schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a refrigeration appliance comprising a liner according to an aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 2A is a schematic of an enlarged cross-section of a liner at region IIA comprising a capping region with a pigment additive and a base region according to an aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a schematic of an enlarged cross-section of a liner at region IIB comprising a capping region with a pigment additive, a barrier region and a base region according to an aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a flow chart schematic of a method of making a liner, such as depicted in FIG. 2A, according to a further aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a flow chart schematic of a method of making a liner, such as depicted in FIG. 2B, according to a further aspect of the disclosure.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the subject invention is described further, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments of the invention described below, as variations of the particular embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the appended claims. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments, and is not intended to be limiting. Instead, the scope of the present invention will be established by the appended claims.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range, and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges, and are also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the invention.

In this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

As outlined in various exemplary forms, methods of making liners are outlined in the disclosure that are repeatable, with high manufacturing flexibility, and low in cost. These methods can be employed to fabricate pigmented liners suitable for various appliances, including refrigeration appliances. Also outlined in the disclosure are configurations for liners, e.g., the pigmented liners made from these methods, which do not require or otherwise employ internal adhesives, have a high reliability and can be configured according to various design aesthetics.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a refrigeration appliance 200 is provided in exemplary form that comprises a liner 100a, 100b according to an embodiment. As shown, the liner 100a, 100b is mounted to a cabinet 1 of the refrigeration appliance 200. In some configurations, the liner 100a, 100b is mounted to a foam 70 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) installed on an exterior surface of the cabinet 1. In other configurations, the liner 100a, 100b is mounted directly to the cabinet 1. Typically, the liner 100a, 100b is attached, joined or otherwise fastened to the cabinet 1 through an adhesive, bonding agent, mechanical fastener (e.g., rivets, screws, etc.) or another comparable approach. However, as noted earlier, the liner 100a, 100b itself does not include any internal adhesives and, according to some aspects, includes one or more pigment additives.

As shown in FIG. 2A, a liner 100a (such as incorporated into the appliance 200 depicted in FIG. 1) includes a capping region 50 and a base region 10. According to an implementation, the capping region 50 and the base region 10 are joined with substantially no interfaces between them, thus forming a monolayer that serves as the liner 100a. More particularly, the liner 100a (or the monolayer of the liner) can include a base region 10 that is formed from a base 13 that comprises a high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) precursor material. The liner 100a also includes a capping region 50, disposed over the base region 10, which is formed from a capping base 53 that comprises the same or a similar HIPS precursor material as employed in the capping region 50. The capping region 50 also includes a pigment additive 55 within the capping base 53. In general, the pigment additive 55 is incorporated and/or dispersed within the capping base 53 at a level sufficient to impart a desired color, hue, tinting or the like in the liner 100a.

Referring again to the liner 100a depicted in FIG. 2A, the base 13 of the base region 10 can be formed from one or more precursor materials including high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), polybutadiene, polystyrene (PS), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) materials. In some aspects, fungicides and/or colorant dispersants can be incorporated into the base 13 of the base region 10. In preferred embodiments, the precursor material(s) selected for use in the base 13 are thermoplastics, suitable for use in an extrusion process and the incorporation of one or more additives, such as pigments and other colorants. As also depicted in FIG. 2A, the base 13 of the base region 10 can be configured with a thickness 12 (e.g., through extrusion, rolling, etc.) of about 1.3 mm (about 50 mils) to about 13 mm (about 500 mils). In a preferred embodiment, the base 13 has a thickness 12 of about 3.8 mm (about 150 mils) to about 7.6 mm (about 300 mils). Note that the thickness 12 of the base 13 of the base region 10 is given in approximate dimensions, as would be typically associated with the base 13 being in a sheet or layer form before incorporation into the liner 100a. For example, the base region 10 and the capping region 50, as part of the liner 100a, do not contain any appreciable interfaces between them according to some implementations of the disclosure.

Referring again to the liner 100a depicted in FIG. 2A, the capping base 53 of the capping region 50 can be formed from one or more precursor materials including high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), polybutadiene, polystyrene (PS), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) materials. In preferred embodiments, the precursor material(s) selected for use in the capping base 53 are thermoplastics, suitable for use in an extrusion process and the incorporation of one or more pigment additives 55, other colorants, tinting agents and the like. As also depicted in FIG. 2A, the capping base 53 of the capping region 50 can be configured with a thickness 52 (e.g., through extrusion, rolling, etc.) of about 0.013 mm (about 0.5 mils) to about 0.5 mm (about 20 mils). In a preferred embodiment, the capping base 53 has a thickness 52 of about 0.06 mm (about 2.5 mils) to about 0.19 mm (about 7.5 mils). Note that the thickness 52 of the capping base 53 of the capping region 50 is given in approximate dimensions, as would be typically associated with the capping base 53 being in a sheet or layer form before incorporation into the liner 100a. As noted earlier, the base region 10 and the capping region 50, as part of the liner 100a, do not contain any appreciable interfaces between them according to some implementations of the disclosure.

As also shown in FIG. 2A, the liner 100a includes one or more pigment additives 55, configured to impart color, tinting or the like into the liner 100a. As understood by those with ordinary skill in the field of the disclosure, various metallic, ceramic, polymeric pigments and colorants can be added at various concentrations within the polymeric materials employed in the liner 100a. For example, titanium oxide can be included as a pigment additive 55 to achieve a white color. As another example, a liner 100a with a charcoal-sparkle appearance can be created by employing carbon black and one or more of quartz, mica, and stainless steel as the pigment additives 55. In an aspect of the disclosure, the pigment additive(s) 55 are incorporated into the capping region 50 at a concentration level and dispersed to ensure that the liner 100a exhibits a particular color, hue or the like as desired by the user of the appliance or other end product employing the liner 100a. In a preferred embodiment, no additional additive(s) 55 are necessary in the base region 10 to obtain the desired color, hue or tinting for the liner 100a. According to another embodiment, additive(s) 55 are incorporated into the capping region 50 and the base region 10, e.g., as dispersed at concentrations sufficient for the liner 100a to obtain the desired color, hue or tinting. According to some aspects, the pigment additive(s) 55 are incorporated into the capping region 50 at a concentration from about 5% to about 30% (by weight). Optionally, the pigment additive(s) 55 are incorporated into the base region 10 at a concentration from about 1% to about 10%. Preferably, the concentration of the additive(s) 55 in the capping region 50 is set between about 15% to about 25% (by weight) and in the base region 10, if present, from 3% to about 5% (by weight).

As shown in FIG. 2B, a liner 100b (e.g., as incorporated into the appliance 200 depicted in FIG. 1) includes a capping region 50, a barrier region 30 and a base region 10. More generally, however, the liner 100b is similar in most respects to the liner 100a shown in FIG. 2A and described earlier. Accordingly, like-numbered elements and features of the liner 100b and the liner 100a have the same or similar structures and functions. The primary difference between the liner 100a and the liner 100b is that the latter includes a barrier region 30, sandwiched between the base region 10 and the capping region 50. In this implementation, the barrier region 30 offers protection to the capping region 50 from the diffusion of effluents, volatiles and other potential contaminants associated with the foam 70, installed adjacent to the cabinet 1. These contaminants, for example, could discolor or lead to other defects within the capping region 50.

According to an implementation of the liner 100b depicted in FIG. 2B, the capping region 50, the barrier region 30 and the base region 10 are joined with substantially no interfaces between them, thus forming a monolayer that serves as the liner 100b. More particularly, the liner 100b (or the monolayer of the liner) can include a base region 10 that is formed from a base 13 that comprises a high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) precursor material. The liner 100b also includes a capping region 50, disposed over a barrier region 30 and the base region 10, which is formed from a capping base 53 that comprises the same or a similar HIPS precursor material as employed in the capping region 50. The capping region 50 also includes a pigment additive 55 within the capping base 53. In general, the pigment additive 55 is incorporated and/or dispersed within the capping base 53 at a level sufficient to impart a desired color, hue, tinting or the like in the liner 100b.

Still further, the liner 100b depicted in FIG. 2B includes a barrier region 30 that is disposed between the base region 10 and the capping region 50. Preferably, the barrier region 30 comprises a polyethylene material and a material employed in the barrier base 33, typically a material comparable to that employed in the capping base 53 and/or the base 13, e.g., a high-impact polystyrene (HIPS). According to an embodiment, additional compatibilizers, as understood by those with ordinary skill in the art, are added to the barrier region 30 to ensure that the polyethylene layers and HIPS material within the barrier region 30 are combined without the formation of voids, bubbles, delamination defects, etc. In some implementations, the barrier region 30 includes one or more barrier layers 34 comprising a polyethylene material, as interspersed within the material of the barrier base 33.

According to an embodiment of the liner 100b, the barrier base 33 of the barrier region 30 can be formed from one or more precursor materials including high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), polystyrene (PS), styrenic polymers, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and combinations of these materials. In preferred embodiments, the precursor material(s) selected for use in the barrier base 33 are thermoplastics, suitable for use in an extrusion process. As also depicted in FIG. 2B, the barrier base 33 of the barrier region 30 can be configured with a thickness 32 (e.g., through extrusion, rolling, etc.) of about 0.13 mm (about 5 mils) to about 1.3 mm (about 50 mils). In a preferred embodiment, the barrier base 33 has a thickness 32 of about 0.25 mm (about 10 mils) to about 0.76 mm (about 30 mils). Note that the thickness 32 of the barrier base 33 of the barrier region 30 is given in approximate dimensions, as would be typically associated with the barrier base 33 being in a sheet or layer form before incorporation into the liner 100b. As noted earlier, the base region 10, barrier region 30 and the capping region 50, as part of the liner 100b, do not contain any appreciable interfaces between them according to some implementations of the disclosure.

Referring again to the liners 100a, 100b, a preferred implementation of these liners is configured such that the base region 10 and the capping region 50 (i.e., for liner 100a) or the base region 10, barrier region 30 and the capping region 50 (i.e., for liner 100b) are joined with substantially no interfaces between them. That is, a cross-section of the liner 100a, 100b when viewed under low magnification will not reveal any indications of an interface or interfaces between the base region 10, the barrier region 30 and/or the capping region 50. Advantageously, the lack of any appreciable interfaces between the capping region 50, barrier region 30 and/or the base region 10 significantly reduces the likelihood that these regions will delaminate during subsequent processing (e.g., thermo-forming of the liner 100a, 100b into a refrigeration appliance 200, such as depicted in FIG. 1) and other the demands of the application environment of the liner 100a. Another advantage of these liners is that the base region 10 and capping region 50 for the liner 100a, and the base region 10, barrier region 30 and the capping region 50 for the liner 100b, are configured with substantially no interfaces between them, thus eliminating the necessity of employing adhesives or other bonding agents to join them. As these implementations of the liners 100a, 100b do not require adhesives, they can be fabricated at a lower cost. Further, the lack of adhesives employed between these regions tends to result in improved color uniformity for these liners 100a, 100b in comparison to conventional, pigmented multi-layer liners with layers joined with internal adhesives.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, a method 300a of making a liner, e.g., liner 100a, for an appliance is depicted in schematic form. The method 300a includes a mixing step 310 for mixing a polymeric capping layer precursor (e.g., for a capping base 53) and a pigment additive (e.g., pigment additive 55). In some embodiments, the mixing step 310 comprises mixing the polymeric capping layer precursor and from about 5% to about 30% pigment additive by weight, preferably from about 15% to about 25% by weight. The mixing step 310, for example, can be conducted within an extruder or in a separate vessel or container. According to some aspects, the mixing step 310 is conducted such that the polymeric capping layer precursor and pigment additive materials are mixed in particulate form.

Referring again to FIG. 3A, the method 300a of making a liner for an appliance further includes an extruding step 320 for forming the capping layer precursor (e.g., for a capping base 53) and the pigment additive (e.g., pigment additive 55) into a capping layer 50′ at a capping layer formation temperature. According to some embodiments, the capping layer 50′ that results from the extruding step 320 comprises pigment additives 55 that are substantially dispersed within a capping base 53, as derived from the capping layer precursor. In some implementations, the extruding step 320 is conducted in an extruder suitable for extrusion of thermoplastic materials into polymeric layers. According to some embodiments, the capping layer formation temperature is set between about 275° F. to about 400° F., preferably between about 290° F. and 370° F. In other aspects, the extruding step 320 is conducted with other apparatus to accomplish the same or similar function as would be understood by those with ordinary skill in the art, e.g., hot-pressing apparatus, injection molding apparatus, etc.

Referring once again to FIG. 3A, the method 300a of making a liner for an appliance further includes a rolling step 330 for rolling the capping layer (e.g., capping layer 50′) into a polymeric base layer (e.g., polymeric base layer 10′) to form a liner (e.g., liner 100a). In some aspects, the polymeric base layer, e.g., layer 10′, includes a base 13 and, optionally, pigment additives 55 dispersed within the base 13. In addition, the rolling step 330 is conducted at about the capping layer formation temperature. According to an embodiment, the rolling step 330 of the method 300a is conducted by obtaining the capping layer, as it exists at the capping layer formation temperature during the preceding extruding step 320, and rolling it into the polymeric base layer. Accordingly, the rolling step 330 can involve rolling the capping layer and the polymeric base layer together, at about the capping layer formation temperature, to form a liner. By rolling the capping layer and the polymeric base layer together at about the same temperature in which they were extruded or otherwise processed in earlier steps, the rolling step 330 ensures that these features are joined together with substantially no interfaces between them. In some aspects, the liner can be characterized as a monolayer given that there are substantially no interfaces between the capping region and the base region within the liner. In some embodiments, the liner (e.g., liner 100a) that results from the rolling step 330 comprises a capping region (e.g., capping region 50) and a base region (e.g., base region 10), the capping region comprising the pigment additive. According to some aspects, the rolling step 330 is conducted to form a liner that comprises substantially no interfaces between the capping region and the base region.

In some implementations, the rolling step 330 is conducted with the capping layer and the polymeric base layer configured between a set of two or more rollers (not shown) that are set at a predetermined rolling pressure. Further, the rollers can be heated to about the capping layer formation temperature, e.g., between about 275° F. to about 400° F. That is, the capping layer comprising pigment additive, as formed in the preceding extruding step 320, is rolled during the rolling step 330 with a polymeric base layer through a set of rollers. The pressure applied by the rollers, and the fact that the rollers are set to approximately the capping layer formation temperature, ensures that that the capping layer and the polymeric base layer are merged together during the rolling step 330 into the liner.

According to an embodiment, the method 300a of making a liner depicted in FIG. 3A can be conducted with an additional shaping step (not shown) after formation of the liner in steps 310, 320 and 330. That is, the method 300a can be conducted with a step of shaping the liner into a final liner form at a shaping temperature, the final liner suitable for assembly into a refrigeration appliance (e.g., refrigeration appliance 200 as shown in FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the shaping step is conducted according to a thermo-forming process, typically at a temperature that approaches, but does not exceed, the capping layer formation temperature employed in earlier steps of the method 300a. In some aspects, the shaping step is conducted between about 200° F. to about 350° F.

According to some implementations of the method 300a of making a liner depicted in FIG. 3A, the mixing and extruding steps 310, 320 are conducted such that the capping layer that results from these steps exhibits a predetermined color. For example, a customer may select a predetermined color that is suitable for a liner to be made according to the method 300a. One can then engage in the mixing and extruding steps 310 and 320 of the method 300a to produce various trial capping layer samples, until a capping layer is produced that matches the predetermined color set by the customer. At this point, the method 300a can then be completed by rolling the desired capping layer with the rolling step 330 into a base layer to form a liner, the liner exhibiting the predetermined color by virtue of its incorporation of the capping layer with the predetermined color. Advantageously, the method 300a of making a liner can be conducted efficiently on a single extruder to develop various capping layers having desired colors. In contrast, some conventional approaches require the use of multiple extruders to produce a pigmented, multi-layer liner. Further, the incorporation of the pigment into the capping layer by the method 300a, without the need to disperse it through the full thickness of the liner, reduces pigment additive material costs.

Referring now to FIG. 3B, a method 300b of making a liner, e.g., liner 100b, for an appliance is depicted in schematic form. The method 300b depicted in FIG. 3B is similar to the method 300a outlined earlier and depicted in FIG. 3A, and like numbered elements and steps have the same or similar features. The primary difference between method 300a and method 300b is that the rolling step 330 in the latter method further incorporates a barrier layer 30′ into the capping layer 50′ and the polymeric base layer 10′. That is, the rolling step 330 of the method 300b involves rolling the capping layer (e.g., capping layer 50′), a barrier layer 30′ and a polymeric base layer (e.g., polymeric base layer 10′) together to form a liner (e.g., liner 100b). In some aspects, the polymeric base layer, e.g., layer 10′, includes a base 13 and, optionally, pigment additives 55 dispersed within the base 13.

In some aspects of the method 300b, the rolling step 330 of the method 300b is conducted at about the capping layer formation temperature. Accordingly, the rolling step 330 can involve rolling the capping layer, the barrier layer and the polymeric base layer together, at about the capping layer formation temperature, to form a liner (e.g., liner 100b). By rolling the capping layer, barrier layer and the polymeric base layer together at about the same temperature in which they were extruded or otherwise processed in earlier steps, the rolling step 330 ensures that these features are joined together with substantially no interfaces between them. According to an embodiment, the rolling step 330 of the method 300b is conducted by obtaining the capping layer, as it exists at the capping layer formation temperature during the preceding extruding step 320, and rolling it into the polymeric base layer and the barrier layer.

In some aspects of the method 300b, the liner (e.g., liner 100b) produced according to the method can be characterized as a monolayer given that there are substantially no interfaces between the capping region, barrier layer region and the base region within the liner. In some embodiments, the liner (e.g., liner 100b) that results from the rolling step 330 comprises a capping region (e.g., capping region 50), a barrier region (e.g., barrier region 30) and a base region (e.g., base region 10), the capping region comprising the pigment additive. According to some aspects, the rolling step 330 is conducted to form a liner that comprises substantially no interfaces between the capping region, barrier region and the base region.

Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments of the disclosure without departing substantially from the spirit and various principles of the disclosure. For example, the principles associated with the methods of making a liner and the liner configurations of the disclosure can be employed in fabricating liners for use in various appliances, such as portable refrigerators, coolers, storage containers, etc. These methods and liner configurations can also be applied in the development of exterior surfaces of various appliances and other household items with various design aesthetics and coloration features. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

To the extent any amendments, characterizations, or other assertions previously made (in this or in any related patent applications or patents, including any parent, sibling, or child) with respect to any art, prior or otherwise, could be construed as a disclaimer of any subject matter supported by the present disclosure of this application, Applicant hereby rescinds and retracts such disclaimer. Applicant also respectfully submits that any prior art previously considered in any related patent applications or patents, including any parent, sibling, or child, may need to be re-visited.

Claims

1. A liner for an appliance, comprising:

a polymeric liner comprising a monolayer, the monolayer comprising: a base region comprising a high-impact polystyrene material; and a capping region comprising a high-impact polystyrene material and a pigment additive, the capping region disposed over the base region,
wherein the base region and the capping region are joined with no interfaces between them.

2. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the monolayer further comprises a barrier region between the base region and the capping region, the barrier region comprising a polyethylene material and a high-impact polystyrene material, and wherein the base region, the barrier region, and the capping region are joined with no interfaces between them.

3. The liner of claim 1, wherein

there is no adhesive disposed between the base region and the capping region.

4. A liner for an appliance comprising:

a capping region, a base region, and a composition, wherein, the capping region and the base region are contiguous without a layer interface separating the capping region from the base region;
wherein, the composition at the capping region comprises a pigment and one or more of a high-impact polystyrene, polybutadiene, polystyrene, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene;
wherein, the composition at the base region comprises one or more of a high-impact polystyrene, polybutadiene, polystyrene, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene; and
wherein, a weight percentage of the pigment in the composition at the capping region is greater than a weight percentage of the pigment in the composition at the base region.

5. The liner of claim 4, wherein

the composition at the capping region comprises a high-impact polystyrene; and
the composition at the base region also comprises a high-impact polystyrene.

6. The liner of claim 5, wherein

the high-impact polystyrene of the composition at the base region is not present throughout an entirety of the composition at the capping region.

7. The liner of claim 5, wherein

the high-impact polystyrene of the composition at the capping region is not present throughout an entirety of the composition at the base region.

8. The liner of claim 4, wherein

the pigment comprises titanium oxide or carbon black.

9. The liner of claim 4, wherein

the weight percentage of the pigment in the composition decreases from a maximum value of 30 percent by weight at the capping region to a minimum value of 1 percent by weight at the base region.

10. The liner of claim 4, wherein

the weight percentage of the pigment in the composition decreases from a minimum value of 15 percent by weight at the capping region to a minimum value of 3 percent by weight at the base region.

11. The liner of claim 4, wherein

the weight percentage of the pigment in the composition decreases from a maximum value of 25 percent by weight at the capping region to a minimum value of 3 percent by weight at the base region.

12. A liner for an appliance comprising:

a capping region, a base region, a barrier region between the capping region and the base region, and a composition;
wherein, the capping region and the barrier region are contiguous without a layer interface separating the capping region from the barrier region;
wherein, the barrier region and the base region are contiguous without a layer interface separating the barrier region from the base region;
wherein, the composition at the capping region comprises a pigment and one or more of a high-impact polystyrene, polybutadiene, polystyrene, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene;
wherein, the composition at the base region comprises one or more of a high-impact polystyrene, polybutadiene, polystyrene, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene;
wherein, the composition at the barrier region comprises polyethylene; and
wherein, a weight percentage of the pigment in the composition at the capping region is greater than at the base region.

13. The liner of claim 12, wherein

the composition at the capping region comprises a high-impact polystyrene; and
the composition at the base region also comprises a high-impact polystyrene.

14. The liner of claim 13, wherein

the barrier region comprises one or more layers of the polyethylene within a high-impact polystyrene.

15. The liner of claim 14, wherein

the high-impact polystyrene at the barrier region is the same as the high-impact polystyrene at the capping region; and
the high-impact polystyrene at the barrier region is different than the high-impact polystyrene at the base region.

16. The liner of claim 12, wherein

the weight percentage of the pigment in the composition at the capping region is greater than at the barrier region.

17. The liner of claim 12, wherein

(i) the weight percentage of the pigment in the composition at the capping region is greater than at the barrier region; and (ii) the weight percentage of the pigment in the composition at the base region is greater than at the barrier region.

18. The liner of claim 12, wherein

the weight percentage of the pigment in the composition decreases from a maximum value of 30 percent by weight at the capping region to a value of 1 percent by weight or less within the base region, which 1 percent by weight or less is maintained through the base region.

19. The liner of claim 12, wherein

the weight percentage of the pigment in the composition is at least 15 percent by weight at the capping region and decreases to a value of 0 percent by weight within the barrier region, and then increases from the value of 0 percent by weight within the barrier region to at least 3 percent by weight within the base region.

20. The liner of claim 12, wherein

the weight percentage of the pigment in the composition decreases from a positive value at the capping region to a value of 0 percent by weight within the barrier region, and then increases from the barrier region to a positive value within the base region.
Referenced Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
1849369 March 1932 Frost
1921576 August 1933 Muffly
2191659 February 1940 Hintze
2432042 December 1947 Richard
2451884 October 1948 Stelzer
2729863 January 1956 Kurtz
3066063 November 1962 Ecklund et al.
3290893 December 1966 Haldopoulos
3338451 August 1967 Kesling
3353301 November 1967 Heilweil et al.
3353321 November 1967 Heilweil et al.
3408316 October 1968 Mueller et al.
3597850 August 1971 Jenkins
3607169 September 1971 Coxe
3632012 January 1972 Kitson
3633783 January 1972 Aue
3634971 January 1972 Kesling
3670521 June 1972 Dodge, III et al.
3769770 November 1973 Deschamps et al.
3862880 January 1975 Feldman
3868829 March 1975 Mann et al.
3875683 April 1975 Waters
3910658 October 1975 Lindenschmidt
3933398 January 20, 1976 Haag
3935787 February 3, 1976 Fisher
3960631 June 1, 1976 Weiss et al.
4005919 February 1, 1977 Hoge et al.
4170391 October 9, 1979 Bottger
4196950 April 8, 1980 Churchill et al.
4242241 December 30, 1980 Rosen et al.
4260876 April 7, 1981 Hochheiser
4303730 December 1, 1981 Torobin
4303732 December 1, 1981 Torobin
4330310 May 18, 1982 Tate, Jr. et al.
4396362 August 2, 1983 Thompson et al.
4529368 July 16, 1985 Makansi
4583796 April 22, 1986 Nakajima et al.
4681788 July 21, 1987 Barito et al.
4781968 November 1, 1988 Kellerman
4865875 September 12, 1989 Kellerman
4870735 October 3, 1989 Jahr et al.
4914341 April 3, 1990 Weaver et al.
5084320 January 28, 1992 Barito et al.
5094899 March 10, 1992 Rusek, Jr.
5118174 June 2, 1992 Benford et al.
5121593 June 16, 1992 Forslund
5168674 December 8, 1992 Molthen
5171346 December 15, 1992 Hallett
5227245 July 13, 1993 Brands et al.
5251455 October 12, 1993 Cur et al.
5269601 December 14, 1993 Williams et al.
5340208 August 23, 1994 Hauck et al.
5375428 December 27, 1994 LeClear et al.
5500287 March 19, 1996 Henderson
5500305 March 19, 1996 Bridges et al.
5505810 April 9, 1996 Kirby et al.
5509248 April 23, 1996 Dellby et al.
5532034 July 2, 1996 Kirby et al.
5532315 July 2, 1996 Bonekamp et al.
5533311 July 9, 1996 Tirrell et al.
5599081 February 4, 1997 Revlett et al.
5600966 February 11, 1997 Valence et al.
5768837 June 23, 1998 Sjoholm
5792801 August 11, 1998 Tsuda et al.
5826780 October 27, 1998 Nesser et al.
5834126 November 10, 1998 Sheu
5866247 February 2, 1999 Klatt et al.
5918478 July 6, 1999 Bostic et al.
5950395 September 14, 1999 Takemasa et al.
5952404 September 14, 1999 Simpson et al.
6013700 January 11, 2000 Asano et al.
6063471 May 16, 2000 Dietrich et al.
6163976 December 26, 2000 Tada et al.
6164739 December 26, 2000 Schulz et al.
6187256 February 13, 2001 Aslan et al.
6209342 April 3, 2001 Banicevic et al.
6210625 April 3, 2001 Matsushita et al.
6244458 June 12, 2001 Frysinger et al.
6266970 July 31, 2001 Nam et al.
6294595 September 25, 2001 Tyagi et al.
6485122 November 26, 2002 Wolf et al.
6428130 August 6, 2002 Banicevic et al.
6430780 August 13, 2002 Kim et al.
6519919 February 18, 2003 Takenouchi et al.
6589646 July 8, 2003 Morgenstern
6629429 October 7, 2003 Kawamura et al.
6655766 December 2, 2003 Hodges
6689840 February 10, 2004 Eustace et al.
6736472 May 18, 2004 Banicevic
6860082 March 1, 2005 Yamamoto et al.
7008032 March 7, 2006 Chekal et al.
7197792 April 3, 2007 Moon
7197888 April 3, 2007 LeClear et al.
7207181 April 24, 2007 Murray et al.
7234247 June 26, 2007 Maguire
7263744 September 4, 2007 Kim et al.
7360371 April 22, 2008 Feinauer et al.
7475562 January 13, 2009 Jackovin
7517031 April 14, 2009 Laible
7614244 November 10, 2009 Venkatakrishnan et al.
7665326 February 23, 2010 LeClear et al.
7703217 April 27, 2010 Tada et al.
7703824 April 27, 2010 Kittelson et al.
7757511 July 20, 2010 LeClear et al.
7794805 September 14, 2010 Aumaugher et al.
7845745 December 7, 2010 Gorz et al.
7938148 May 10, 2011 Carlier et al.
7992257 August 9, 2011 Kim
8049518 November 1, 2011 Wern et al.
8074469 December 13, 2011 Hamel et al.
8079652 December 20, 2011 Laible et al.
8108972 February 7, 2012 Bae et al.
8157338 April 17, 2012 Seo et al.
8162415 April 24, 2012 Hagele et al.
8182051 May 22, 2012 Laible et al.
8197019 June 12, 2012 Kim
8266923 September 18, 2012 Bauer et al.
8382219 February 26, 2013 Hottmann et al.
8434317 May 7, 2013 Besore
8439460 May 14, 2013 Laible et al.
8491070 July 23, 2013 Davis et al.
8516845 August 27, 2013 Wuesthoff et al.
8590992 November 26, 2013 Lim et al.
8717029 May 6, 2014 Chae et al.
8752921 June 17, 2014 Gorz et al.
8763847 July 1, 2014 Mortarotti
8764133 July 1, 2014 Park et al.
8776390 July 15, 2014 Hanaoka et al.
8840204 September 23, 2014 Bauer et al.
8881398 November 11, 2014 Hanley et al.
8905503 December 9, 2014 Sahasrabudhe et al.
8943770 February 3, 2015 Sanders et al.
8944541 February 3, 2015 Allard et al.
9009969 April 21, 2015 Choi et al.
RE45501 May 5, 2015 Maguire
9056952 June 16, 2015 Eilbracht et al.
9074811 July 7, 2015 Korkmaz
9080808 July 14, 2015 Choi et al.
9102076 August 11, 2015 Doshi et al.
9103482 August 11, 2015 Fujimori et al.
9125546 September 8, 2015 Kleemann et al.
9140480 September 22, 2015 Kuehl et al.
9140481 September 22, 2015 Cur et al.
9170045 October 27, 2015 Oh et al.
9170046 October 27, 2015 Jung et al.
9188382 November 17, 2015 Kim et al.
8955352 February 17, 2015 Lee et al.
9221210 December 29, 2015 Wu et al.
9228386 January 5, 2016 Thielmann et al.
9267727 February 23, 2016 Lim et al.
9303915 April 5, 2016 Kim et al.
9328951 May 3, 2016 Shin et al.
9353984 May 31, 2016 Kim et al.
9410732 August 9, 2016 Choi et al.
9423171 August 23, 2016 Betto et al.
9429356 August 30, 2016 Kim et al.
9448004 September 20, 2016 Kim et al.
9463917 October 11, 2016 Wu et al.
9482463 November 1, 2016 Choi et al.
9506689 November 29, 2016 Carbajal et al.
9518777 December 13, 2016 Lee et al.
9568238 February 14, 2017 Kim et al.
D781641 March 21, 2017 Incukur
D781642 March 21, 2017 Incukur
9605891 March 28, 2017 Lee et al.
9696085 July 4, 2017 Seo et al.
9702621 July 11, 2017 Cho et al.
9759479 September 12, 2017 Ramm et al.
9777958 October 3, 2017 Choi et al.
9791204 October 17, 2017 Kim et al.
9833942 December 5, 2017 Wu et al.
10907888 February 2, 2021 Csapos et al.
11175090 November 16, 2021 Buzzi
20020004111 January 10, 2002 Matsubara et al.
20020114937 August 22, 2002 Albert et al.
20020144482 October 10, 2002 Henson et al.
20030041612 March 6, 2003 Piloni et al.
20030056334 March 27, 2003 Finkelstein
20030157284 August 21, 2003 Tanimoto et al.
20030167789 September 11, 2003 Tanimoto et al.
20030173883 September 18, 2003 Koons
20040144130 July 29, 2004 Jung
20040226141 November 18, 2004 Yates et al.
20050042247 February 24, 2005 Gomoll et al.
20050229614 October 20, 2005 Ansted
20060064846 March 30, 2006 Espindola et al.
20060094804 May 4, 2006 Lachowicz
20060261718 November 23, 2006 Miseki et al.
20060266075 November 30, 2006 Itsuki et al.
20070264468 November 15, 2007 Boyd et al.
20070266654 November 22, 2007 Noale
20080044488 February 21, 2008 Zimmer et al.
20080048540 February 28, 2008 Kim
20080138458 June 12, 2008 Ozasa et al.
20080196441 August 21, 2008 Ferreira
20090032541 February 5, 2009 Rogala et al.
20090131571 May 21, 2009 Fraser et al.
20090205357 August 20, 2009 Lim et al.
20090302728 December 10, 2009 Rotter et al.
20090322470 December 31, 2009 Yoo et al.
20100206464 August 19, 2010 Teo et al.
20100218543 September 2, 2010 Duchame
20100287843 November 18, 2010 Oh
20100287974 November 18, 2010 Cur et al.
20110011119 January 20, 2011 Kuehl et al.
20110023527 February 3, 2011 Kwon et al.
20110095669 April 28, 2011 Moon et al.
20110215694 September 8, 2011 Fink et al.
20110220662 September 15, 2011 Kim et al.
20110309732 December 22, 2011 Horil et al.
20120011879 January 19, 2012 Gu
20120060544 March 15, 2012 Lee et al.
20120099255 April 26, 2012 Lee et al.
20120240612 September 27, 2012 Wuesthoff et al.
20120280608 November 8, 2012 Park et al.
20130026900 January 31, 2013 Oh et al.
20130043780 February 21, 2013 Ootsuka et al.
20130221819 August 29, 2013 Wing
20130270732 October 17, 2013 Wu et al.
20130285527 October 31, 2013 Choi et al.
20130293080 November 7, 2013 Kim et al.
20130328472 December 12, 2013 Shim et al.
20140009055 January 9, 2014 Cho et al.
20140097733 April 10, 2014 Seo et al.
20140166926 June 19, 2014 Lee et al.
20140190978 July 10, 2014 Bowman et al.
20140196305 July 17, 2014 Smith
20140216706 August 7, 2014 Melton et al.
20140232250 August 21, 2014 Kim et al.
20140346942 November 27, 2014 Kim et al.
20150011668 January 8, 2015 Kolb et al.
20150015133 January 15, 2015 Carbajal et al.
20150017386 January 15, 2015 Kolb et al.
20150059399 March 5, 2015 Hwang et al.
20150115790 April 30, 2015 Ogg
20150159936 June 11, 2015 Oh et al.
20150176888 June 25, 2015 Cur et al.
20150184923 July 2, 2015 Jeon
20150190840 July 9, 2015 Muto et al.
20150224685 August 13, 2015 Amstutz
20150241115 August 27, 2015 Strauss et al.
20150241118 August 27, 2015 Wu
20150283795 October 8, 2015 Kim et al.
20150285551 October 8, 2015 Aiken et al.
20160084567 March 24, 2016 Fernandez et al.
20160116100 April 28, 2016 Thiery et al.
20160123055 May 5, 2016 Ueyama
20160161175 June 9, 2016 Benold et al.
20160178267 June 23, 2016 Hao et al.
20160178269 June 23, 2016 Hiemeyer et al.
20160235201 August 18, 2016 Soot
20160240839 August 18, 2016 Umeyama et al.
20160258671 September 8, 2016 Allard et al.
20160290702 October 6, 2016 Sexton et al.
20160348957 December 1, 2016 Hitzelberger et al.
20170038126 February 9, 2017 Lee et al.
20170157809 June 8, 2017 Deka et al.
20170176086 June 22, 2017 Kang
20170184339 June 29, 2017 Liu et al.
20170191746 July 6, 2017 Seo
Foreign Patent Documents
626838 September 1961 CA
201748744 February 2011 CN
102153829 August 2011 CN
102645071 August 2012 CN
102717578 October 2012 CN
202973713 June 2013 CN
103407228 November 2013 CN
104816478 August 2015 CN
105115221 December 2015 CN
204963379 January 2016 CN
4110292 October 1992 DE
4409091 September 1995 DE
19914105 September 2000 DE
102011051178 December 2012 DE
0645576 March 1995 EP
1602425 December 2005 EP
1624263 February 2006 EP
2543942 January 2013 EP
2878427 June 2015 EP
2991698 December 2013 FR
04165197 June 1992 JP
04309778 November 1992 JP
11159693 June 1999 JP
2000320958 November 2000 JP
2002068853 March 2002 JP
3438948 August 2003 JP
2005069596 March 2005 JP
2005098637 April 2005 JP
2006161834 June 2006 JP
2006200685 August 2006 JP
2008190815 August 2008 JP
2013050267 March 2013 JP
2013076471 April 2013 JP
20050095357 September 2005 KR
100620025 September 2006 KR
20070065743 June 2007 KR
20090026045 March 2009 KR
20150089495 August 2015 KR
9920961 April 1999 NO
2061925 June 1996 RU
2077411 April 1997 RU
2081858 June 1997 RU
2132522 June 1999 RU
2162576 January 2001 RU
2166158 April 2001 RU
2187433 August 2002 RU
2234645 August 2004 RU
2252377 May 2005 RU
2253792 June 2005 RU
2349618 March 2009 RU
2414288 March 2011 RU
2422598 June 2011 RU
142892 July 2014 RU
2529525 September 2014 RU
2571031 December 2015 RU
203707 December 1967 SU
476407 July 1975 SU
547614 May 1977 SU
648780 February 1979 SU
1307186 April 1987 SU
9614207 May 1996 WO
9721767 June 1997 WO
9920964 April 1999 WO
2001060598 August 2001 WO
0202987 January 2002 WO
2002052208 July 2002 WO
02060576 August 2002 WO
03072684 September 2003 WO
2004010042 January 2004 WO
2006045694 May 2006 WO
2006073540 July 2006 WO
2007033836 March 2007 WO
2007106067 September 2007 WO
2008065453 June 2008 WO
2008077741 July 2008 WO
2008118536 October 2008 WO
2008122483 October 2008 WO
2009013106 January 2009 WO
2009112433 September 2009 WO
2010007783 January 2010 WO
2010127947 November 2010 WO
2011058678 May 2011 WO
2012152646 November 2012 WO
2013116103 August 2013 WO
2013116302 August 2013 WO
2014038150 March 2014 WO
2014121893 August 2014 WO
2014184393 November 2014 WO
2013140816 September 2015 WO
2016082907 June 2016 WO
2017029782 February 2017 WO
Other references
  • Heifei Midea Refrigerator Co. (CN 103407228 machine translation), (Nov. 27, 2013).
  • Cai et al., “Generation of Metal Nanoparticles By Laser Ablation of Microspheres,” J. Aerosol Sci., vol. 29, No. 5/6 (1998), pp. 627-636.
  • Raszewski et al., “Methods for Producing Hollow Glass Microspheres,” Powerpoint, cached from Google, Jul. 2009, 6 pages.
Patent History
Patent number: 11867452
Type: Grant
Filed: Aug 20, 2021
Date of Patent: Jan 9, 2024
Patent Publication Number: 20210381753
Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation (Benton Harbor, MI)
Inventors: Ermanno Buzzi (Varese), Charles R. Cravens (St. Joseph, MI), Vincent D. Csapos (Hamilton, MI), Muhammad Khizar (St. Joseph, MI)
Primary Examiner: Lawrence D Ferguson
Application Number: 17/407,572
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Phosphorus Directly Bonded To At Least One Chalcogen And Only H Or C, E.g., Phosphine Oxide, Etc. (524/129)
International Classification: B32B 27/32 (20060101); F25D 23/06 (20060101); B32B 27/08 (20060101); B32B 27/30 (20060101); B32B 27/20 (20060101); B29C 48/00 (20190101); B29C 65/18 (20060101); B32B 5/22 (20060101); B32B 5/18 (20060101); B32B 27/06 (20060101); B29L 31/00 (20060101);